Amalgamator



J. WHITE.

Ore Amalgamator.

No. 29,837. I Patented Aug. 28, 1860.

# -wq M m u .5 i 5 I l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES WHITE, OF BANGOR, MAINE.

AMALG-AMATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 29, 837, dated August 28, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES IVHITE, of Bangor, in the county of Penobscotand State of Maine, have invented a new and Improved Amalgamator; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawmg,forming a part of this specification, in.

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal central section of my invention. Fig.2 is a transverse vertical section of the same.

Similar letters of reference in both views indicate corresponding parts.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe it with reference to the drawing.

A represents a cylinder made of cast-iron or any other material suitableto hold quicksilver. I place buckets B, into the same, extending fromone end to the other, and in an inclined or tangential position, asclearly shown in Fig. 2, and the ends of the cylinder are made taperingleaving on one side a small opening a, for the inlet, and on the otheran opening I), twice as large as the opening a, for the discharge. Thecylinder is supported at both ends by suitable bearings in a horizontalposition, and by making the opening 6, larger than the opening a, theliquid which enters through the latter opening will naturally dischargethrough the former. It is essential to have that end of the cylinderwhich leads to the discharge opening 6, with a taper of considerablelength for the purpose of more efiectually preventing the quicksilverflying out as the cylinder is rotated.

The buckets B, are provided with hooks c, at the ends to prevent thequicksilver or other liquid taken up. by the same, running off sidewise.

The operation is as follows :The cylinder A, is filled with quicksilverto the height of the buckets B, or nearly so, and the limpid tailingsare introduced through the opening a, by means of a suitable pipe asindicated in red outline in Fig. 1. By imparting a rotary motion to thecylinder in the direction of the arrow marked near it in Fig. 2, thebuckets take up some portion of the quicksilver, and as the rotation ofthe cylinder proceeds they discharge their contents dumping them over aheight nearly equal to the inside diameter of the cylinder into theliquid mass of the tailings so as to mix the latter thoroughly with thequicksilver and to bring every particle of gold in contact with thesame. By thus having the buckets B, on the inner surface of the cylinderA, the latter is made to serve as the sluice and as the amalgamatoratthe same time.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent.

The employment of a mercury tight cylinder provided with conical endsand with lifting buckets With hooks arranged longitudinally upon theinside of the cylinder as here in shown and described, so that while thequartz, dirt, and water are allowed to pass through the machine, themercury will be hindered, and will be lifted from the bottom to the topof the machine and then discharged in showers upon and through the oreand other contents of the cylinder and thus by amalgamation effectingthe separation of the gold from the quartz dirt and water all as setforth.

JAMES WHITE.

Witnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON, WILLIAM THoMrsoN.

